Buffing machine



April 9, 1929. R. M. FOTHERINGHAM BUFFING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 18, 1924 fha/15 April 9, 1929 l R. M. FOTHERINGHAM 1,708,569

BUFFING MACHINE Filed Augyls, 1924 5 shares-sheet 3 Patented Apr.. 9, 1929.

nrrED STATES PATENT oFFicE. y

ROBERT M. FOTHERINGHAM, or BUFFALO, NEWXORK -Buruma MACHINE.

Application filed. August 18, 1924. Serial No. 732,662.

'- volving the Work carrier with a view of renf bodying my improvements. Figure dering it positive and reliable in action.

vA. further object is the provision of a portable machine of this character which isuniversally adjustable to adapt it to Work of different varieties.

- Gther features of the invention reside in the construction and arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claim. j

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 a side elevation of a buiiing machine em- 2 is a fragmentary end view thereof. `Figure 3 is an enlarged tcp plan View of the machine,

`partly in section. Figure 4 is an enlarged transverse vertical'section on line L1--4, Fig. 1. Figure 5 is an enlarged A. verse section on line 5-5, Fig. 3. Figures 6 and 7 are transverse sections, similar to Fig. 5 showing the parts in different positions. Figure 8 is a fragmentary longitudinal section on line 8 8, Fig. 3. Figure 9 is an enlarged transverse section on line 9 9, Fig. 3. Figure 10 is a transverse section taken in the plane of line 10-10, Figure 3.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views;

In the preferred embodiment of the buffing machine shown in the drawings, .the same is mounted on a suitable standard or pedestal 10 including a longitudinally adjustable slide or supporting block-11 having clamping bolts 12 passing. through longitudinal slots 13 formed in the top of the standard,as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Guided on this slide foi` adjustment transversely of the standard is a turret 14 having a bearing collar 15 projecting from its top side upon which the turrethead or main frame 16, supporting the Workingparts of the machine, is revolubly mounted. The adjustment of the turret 14 for moving the machine toward andv from the buiiing 16 in a set position 'on its butling or polishing wheel vertical transwheel 17, shown by dotted lines in F' 4, preferably consists of a manually-contrlled horizontal adjusting screw 18 held against I movement lengthwise of the slide-block 11 and engaging a swivel-nut 19 depending from said turret and in axial alinement with the bearing collar 15 thereof.

A set screw 20 may be employed for locking the machine-frame bearing collar. By mounting the machine in this manner, thev same is universally adjustable to enable it to be set in a variety of positions relative to the to suit different kinds of work.

The numeral 2l indicates a longitudinal shaft which is journaled at its ends in suitable bearings 22 formed on the machine-frame 16 and which is adapted to be intermittently rotated. Secured to its front end is av workcariier chuck head in the form of a circular head -23 having a plurality of chucks or workholders 24 disposed in a circular series and projecting from its front face for receiving the articles 25. These chucks are slitted in 4the direction of their length, as shown at 26,

whereby the resulting resilient jaws are permitted to expand and contract more or less. Each chuck is mounted on an arbor or spindle 27 of tubular form, which is supported in a bearing 28 on the carrier-head 23 and on the inner end of which a pinion 29 is fixed, as shown in Fig. 3. The several chucks are'adapted-to be driven successively as the carrier-head is intermittently rotated. The preferred mechanism for. accomplishing the result is constructed as follows r* 30 indicates a driving shaft arranged parallel With the shaft 21 and journaled in suitable bearings 31 on the machine-frame 16. At its front end is secured a driving pinion 32 with which the annular row of chuck pinions 29 are adapted to successively engage forro tating the chucks 24 as they are presented to pinion 32 is driven in the proper direction and at the proper speed to successively rotate the several chucks as the chuck-headvis intermittently revolved.

The mechanism for intermittently revolving the chuck-head 23 is preferably constructed as follows:-

Fixed on the driving shaft 30 is a pinion 40 meshing with a driving member or gear wheel 41 lboosely mounted on the shaft 21. Rotat-able with the gear wheel 41 and secured thereto by screws 42 orotherwise is a segmental carrier 43 at one end of which a vertically-swinging feed pawl 44 is fulcrumed, as shown at 45. At the other end of this carrier is a releasing roller 46. Said pawl is pro.

vided with a tooth 47 adapted to interlock with one or another of the corresponding teeth of a driven member or ratchet-wheel 48l disposed alongside the gear wheel 41 and fastened by a set screw 49 to a spool 50 pinned' pawl, as shown 1n Fig. 5. During the operation of the machine, the gear wheel 41, together with the pawl-carrier 43, is rotated constantly at uniform speed, and for -a fraction of a revolution the pawl 44 is engaged with the ratchet wheel to advance the chuckhead 23 a corresponding fraction of a revolution to successively present the various chucks to the bufing Wheel. To this end, the driving` shaft 30 has a roller 54 freely mounted thereon with which the outer curved face 55 of. the pawl is adapted to contact for swinging the same inwardly against the resistance of its spring 5l into locking engagement with one of the teeth of the ratchet wheel, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, thereby compellingthe ratchet-wheel to turn with the gear wheel41 and transmitting motion to the shaft 21 to revolve the chuck-head 23. As soon as the curved face of the pawl clears said contactroller, the spring51 returns the pawl to the released position shown in Fig. 5. During the period that the pawl is released and again engaged with the ratchet-wheel, the chuck head is at rest, and the article 25, borne by that chuck just presented to the buiing wheel is being polished.

In order to positively lock the chuck-head 23 against rotation during its period'of rest l when the bufling or. polishing operationis being effected, a locking wheel 56 is employed. The latter is disposed at one side' of the ratchet wheel 48 and fastened by a set screw `57 to the spool 50. In its periphery, this locking wheel has a plurality of equi-distant radial notches 58, there being as many notches as there are teeth on the ratchet wheel andas there are chucks onthe head 23. Fulerumed .on' the shaft 30-is a vertically-swinging lockratchet Wheel 48 to intermittently rotate the chuck-carrying head, said locking pawl is provided with a trip-arm 63 extending in the path of movement of the releasing roller 46 mounted on the segmental carrier 43. Whenthis roller engages the curved face of the trip arm, Fig. 6, it swings the locking paWl away from the locking wheel to withdraw its tooth 60 from engagement with the corresponding notch 58, thereby releasing the-chuck-head 23 and permitting its rotation with the ratchet-wheel the moment the feed pawl 44 is engaged therewith, which operation takes place immediately after the release of the locking pawl as seen in Fig. 6.

By mounting the ratchet wheel 48 and the locking wheel 56 on the spool 50 fixed to the chuck-head shaft 21, .they may be readily adjusted circumferentially relatively to each other by simply loosening their set screws 49 and 57, respectively, to properly synchronize said wheel, so that the rotary chuck-head 23, which is normally locked when at rest, will be unlocked just before the feed pawl is engaged with the ratchet wheel,

Means are provided for automatically releasing the chucks from grippingengagement with the articles supported by them and also for partially ejecting such larticles from the chucks. The preferred mechanism vfor aceomplishing these results is shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4 and preferably constructed as follows:

Extending through the bore of each chuckspindle 27 is a Vcombined chuck release and article ejector which consists of a rod orv plunger 64 capable of movement lengthwise of the spindle and provided at its inner or threadedend with a cylindrical'nut 65 fitted in a counter-bore 66 formed in the corresponding end of said spindle. At its front end, this rod has a tapered portion\or head wardly, or permitting contraction thereof when said `rod is moved outwardly. lAs shown in Fig.- 3, this rod-head may normally project slightly beyond the open-end of the lchuck so'that when the rod is forced outwardly, its head will abt against the article 25 and partially eject it from the chuck, as shown by dotted lines in connection with the j the outer head of the nut 65 and arranged to retain the rod in its retracted traverse 'anv arcuate, double-ended cam 69 fastened to the adjacent end of the machine- -frame, said camacting to automatically push the rod 64y forwardly to permit contraction of the chuck-jaws and to release and partially eject the article therefrom. A coil spring 7 0 applied to this rodv and bearing at one end against the nut65 and at its other end against a Washer or shoulder 71 functions to normally position, shown in Fig. 3. The length of the cam 69 is such that the rod 64 is held in its projected posi` tion for two or three steps of the intermittent rotary movement of the chuck-head 23,-

so as to give the operator plenty of time to efl'ect the complete removal of t-he polished articles from their chucks.

Briefly stated, the operation of the machine is as follows Y After placing the articles to be bufed or polished on the chucks, theelec'tric motor is with said driving pinion during started, transmitting motion to the driving pinion 32 and successively revolvingl the chucks 24' as their driven pinions 29 mesh the step by step movement of the head 23. Intermittent rotary movement is automatically transmitted to said head in thev manner heretofore described, through' the"`medium of the ratchet vgag'em'ent therewith at a Wheel 48 and feed pawl 44, whichlatter is normally held out of engagement with said wheel by the spring 51 and'A swung into enpredetermined point upon encountering the roller 54 as shown Y to the buing wheel.

in Fig. 7.

the locking pawl 59 drops into a corresponding notch positively holding the chuck-head against rotation during the time an article' is presented When this interval of Immediately after the completion of a step of the chuck-head, the tooth of of the locking wheel 56, thereby `ratchet wheel to advance the chuck-head another step and present the next article to the buiiing wheel and so on. While each chuck is in its active position, it isv constantly rotated at a slower speed than the buing wheel, thus presenting all portions of thearticle to the bufling wheel. After passing the bung wheel, the polished articles are removed from their chucks and replaced by others without stopping the machine. V

This improved machine, while manifestly simple and compact in construction, is etticient and reliable in operation, it effects the expeditious buifing vor polishing of various articles with a minimum expenditure of power and it can be operated by unskilled labor.

I claim as my invention: A bulng machine comprising a supporting frame, a rotatable chuck head, an annular row of chucks supported in said head and having pinions, a shaft carrying the chuck when they arrive at a certain station, and for intermittingly rotating the chuck head shaft -to bring the chucks in succession to said station, said means consisting of a continuously rotating shaft arranged parallel with the .chuck head shaft, a pinion thereon to be en- RoBERTM. FOTHERINGHAM.

head, means for rotating the chuck pinions i 

